The Burden of Immortality
by DJ Lee
Summary: Immortality is something that man has been seeking for years, but now that Ben Tennyson has it in the palm of his hand, why does he want to be rid of it?


**Disclaimer:** Ben 10 is copyright Man of Action and Cartoon Network. This story was created for entertainment purposes only. No copyright infringement intended. It will be removed immediately and without question upon request.

Note: This is kinda fluffy/romantic at the end, so all non Ben x Gwen fans please stop when you reach a double divider. Thank You.

**The Burden of Immortality**

After the slimy alien had the wind knocked out of it for the last time, it fell to the ground with a loud thud, shaking the earth around him and leaving a small crater in his wake.

Ben breathed a sigh of relief, morphed back to his human form, and threw a capsule at the alien, successfully capturing the alien in a small egg like contraption. Bending down to pick up the capsule, he mentally noted that it was alien number six to attack that day. Shaking his head at the attempts various aliens have tried to invade the city and earth the past few years, Ben decided that right now all he wanted to do was return home and taken a nice long shower.

He morphed to XLR8 and arrived home to see that Grandpa Max had already finished the repairs on the Rust Bucket and was just starting dinner. The smell of the food on the frying pan was foreign to Ben, but he knew better than to question his Grandpa's taste in cooking by now. After having eaten the strangest food that he could have ever imaged to have, nothing much surprised him anymore. However, that was not to say that any of the dishes could beat what he grew up with his first ten years of life.

At times like these where if was one of his not so favorite strangest dishes, Ben missed his mother and her cooking. He knew better than to dwell on the past, but there were just some things that he wished that he would be able to cherish forever.

The month he had gone off to college—since Gwen had influenced him enough to actually attend college—Vilgax attacked his hometown. Vilgax had figured destroying his hometown would be easy without Ben there, and he was right. By the time Ben had found out about the attack, he and Gwen—who just happened to attend the same college as he—returned home the moment Grandpa Max phoned them.

When they first saw Vilgax, to say they were shocked was an understatement. They had no idea how they villainous alien had managed to escape the null void after having imprisoned in it for the past eight years. After an extensive battle, the trio had finally won, though the town was worse for fear. To make things worse, Ben's home was the first target. Gwen's parents were over for a visit when the attack came. Unfortunately, Grandpa Max was on his way back after volunteering to buy ingredients for a barbeque and was unable to defend his family from harm's way. Ever since then, Grandpa Max had found it his responsibility to take care of his grandkids the best he could.

Ben understood where his grandfather's protectiveness comes from, but sometimes he felt a little suffocated with no space to himself. Grandpa Max was not the only one who had changed either. Ben had become more focused in his hero activities that he hardly went to school and eventually just dropped out all together. Gwen disapproved of his decision, but knew that there was nothing that she could do to change his mind if his heart wasn't set in getting a degree. Gwen on the other hand, put more effort into learning her spells and becoming the best magician that she could be.

He had been meaning to tell Grandpa Max this for a while but he never knew how to start out. So, like always, he chickened out and greeted his grandfather with the usual, "Hi grandpa."

Grandpa Max looked up at the greeting and smiled. "Oh, you're back already, Ben? I thought that you wouldn't be back for another hour."

"I checked for any possible incoming dangers and the coast seemed clear, so I thought that I'd head back early tonight," explained Ben as he took a seat at the dining table.

"That's great, because I decided to make your favorite, ketchup covered cauliflower," said Max as he plated the vegetables.

Although not as unusual as having slugs for dinner, Ben was glad that it was something moderately normal. It was then that he wondered where Gwen was. If he remembered correctly, her class ended forty minutes ago and she should've arrived home twenty minutes ago. He had offered to bring her to and from school as XLR8, but she declined every time, even when he offered to drive her there in his brand new car, claiming that she rather take the bus, which made no sense to him at all.

As if reading his mind, his twenty-one-year-old redheaded cousin had decided to walk through the front door of their apartment at that very moment. She dropped her heavy book-filled backpack onto the floor by the couch and took a seat across from him. Her hair had grown out since her childhood days and she now wore it layered at shoulder length. Her wardrobe had changed as well, nowadays opting for more of the more mature look. She couldn't help but notice his questioning gaze at why she was home later than usual. "The bus broke down and I was tired of waiting, so I walked home," she answered with an annoyed tone.

"You could have called me," stated Ben, displeasure evident on his face.

After looking into his tired, yet concerned eyes, she sighed and explained, "I had a feeling that you were in the middle of a fight, if that explosion twenty-five minutes ago was any indication. Besides, I can walk home on my own, Ben."

"I know, but that doesn't make me any less worried," came his quiet reply, his gaze focused on the floor to his left. It was then that she noticed how banged up he looked. His hair, although shorter than in his youth, was in a haphazard heap and the stubble on his chin was from what she assumed three days ago. His clothes were splattered in a strange murky gunk and there were streaks of the substance on the sides of his face.

His reply caused a hint of guilt to stir in her stomach for not considering his feelings. She and Grandpa Max where all he left of his family. Biting her lip, she said, "I'll call next time."

"Is that a promise?"

Nodding her head, she responded with a soft smile, "Yes, it's a promise."

Grandpa Max placed the food on the table and joined his grandchildren for dinner. Just as dinner was winding up, Ben cleared his throat, gaining the attention of his other roommates. He decided that it was now or never.

"Is there something wrong?" asked Grandpa Max.

Ben shook his head, and looked into their eyes. "Actually, I have something I want to tell you both." At the expectant looks of his grandfather and cousin, he continued, "The government had granted my request to set up my own headquarters. I have already chosen a place and begun setting it up last week. When it's complete, I'm going to move out."

The rest of the meal was met with silence and the shocked gazes of his family.

* * *

"What's the update?" questioned Ben as he arrived through the back doors of Head Quarters as XLR8.

"The parameters are secure and there's nothing wrong," replied Gwen as she punched in a few keys on the computer.

And just like that, he was gone. She sighed, that was the most that she had seen of her cousin nowadays. At thirty-years-old, Gwen had grown up to be quite the looker and a genius to boot. With stylish short red hair and tight fitting outfit, it was a wonder why she had yet to settle down. Although she had had a quite few boyfriends in the past, most of which Ben disapproved of, she remained single.

Ben, on the other hand, was hardly ever in his human form now that he had become a full time super hero. Whenever he had the slightest amount of free time, he would hole himself up somewhere around headquarters until another crisis appeared. He had just encased Vilgax in Section 15D not too long ago with the rest of the hundreds of villains he had faced in the past. That was the reason why things had started to wind down a bit and Ben had started having more free time to himself.

Gwen couldn't help but wonder why Ben had never gone dating these past few years. He had dated a few times in his early twenties, but now that he actually had more free time since fewer aliens were able to stand a chance against Ben and hardly took that long to capture and imprison, he almost never left headquarters. Not even to celebrate his, Grandpa Max, or her birthdays.

She could tell that Grandpa Max was missing Ben a lot if his dropping by headquarters more often than not meant anything. Speaking of Grandpa Max and Ben, Gwen had yet to buy them a Christmas gift since the holiday was only a week away. She had little time to go shopping at all, now that she thought of it. She sighed. Such was the life of a Super Hero.

She wondered if Grandpa Max would mind going out for dinner tonight, since she was in the mood to try out that new Japanese restaurant that opened last month.

* * *

Even though Christmas Eve was tonight, the apartment and headquarters had yet to be decorated in the Christmas-y atmosphere that she loved and remembered as a child. Grandpa Max had wanted to buy a tree and decorate the apartment, but his injured arm from a recent battle had prevented him from doing so. He had wanted to help, but all he managed to do was get in Ben's way and had injured his arm in the process. He received the biggest scolding he ever remembered getting from his grandchild. In the end, Grandpa Max's arm could not be saved and had to be amputated, much to his dismay. He was to get his new mechanical arm in a few weeks, so he had to deal with life with one arm until then.

Deciding that going out for dinner on such a busy holiday was not worth it and that Ben would most likely decline, Gwen decided to make her family a feast. She had bought a ton of ingredients from the market and was intent on having something that reminded her of Christmas if the apartment didn't.

She had made a terrific dinner, from what Grandpa Max told her. Although she appreciated the compliment and her grandfather's company, it was nothing compared to when the three of them still sat and ate together during a holiday. Even Thanksgiving was only spent between Grandpa Max and her.

Ben was out defending the city out there from another crisis and had insisted that he do it alone. He said that last night and had yet to return.

Gwen packed up the leftovers from the feast and was about to place it in the fridge, when she thought better of it. After Grandpa Max had gone to sleep, she grabbed her gift for Ben and the food and left.

Grandpa Max had been delighted when she bought him a new chef's set and told her that he couldn't wait to try it out once he got his mechanical arm installed. Gwen knew how he loved to try new dishes and thought that this would be better than another Hawaiian shirt. She wondered if Ben would like his gift.

When she arrived at headquarters, she was not surprised to see the lights still on and the computers still running. Looking around to see if Ben was in his room, which he was not, she sighed and placed the boxes of food on the kitchen table where she was sure he would see it. After writing a quick note to Ben and placing the gift on his bed, she left.

When she awoke the next morning, she was surprised to see the plastic storage boxes returned and clean sitting beside a gift with a note attached to it on the kitchen counter. He had given her a nice set of hoop earrings since her usual pair had gone missing during one of their battles.

The next time she saw Ben at headquarters, he had returned to his human form and was wearing the utility belt that she had gave him for Christmas. Maybe it was the Christmas spirit, but after the holiday had passed, things returned to the way they were. She hardly saw him outside of headquarters or in his human form and they rarely talked unless it was business related.

As she stared at the photograph of their younger selves, though glaring at each other in the family portrait, she couldn't help but smile in nostalgia. What she would give to have the child Ben back… It was then that she remembered the spell that she had been researching and working on for time travel. Perhaps it was time for Ben to have a meeting with his past self and lighten up his life from the dreariness that it had become.

* * *

He couldn't believe his luck. Right when he was on his way home for his son's birthday party, an alien attack just had to happen. After quickly taking care of the beast, Ben imprisoned the alien in a capsule and raced home.

Ben was glad that his son had managed to grow so big and had turned out the way he had, compared to the way he was when he was a kid. It was no doubt a surprise and the best present he could offer to Ken by giving him his own omnitrix, though he had doubts of whether or not the child would use it wisely.

By the end of the long and action packed week, not only had Ben gained a new adopted son, but he had also missed his cousin considerably. He had no idea what he would've done without her guidance, which was why he went to her when he was having a hard time with Ken.

The moment she returned from her trip, he had enveloped her in a hug and took out the whole family for dinner to celebrate her return. Her recent trip during Ken's birthday was by far he longest mission that she had ever taken and Ben hoped that she never had to leave that long ever again.

* * *

There was once a time when Ken had asked him why his mother was never around. Ben wanted to run just then since had had the slightest clue how to explain to a four-year-old that his parents were divorced or that his mother died in an accident a few months ago. Luckily, Gwen was there to help and she was able to convince the kid that his mother was traveling the galaxy and would return in a few years. Gwen was also there when a few years later Ken had asked for the truth of his mother's whereabouts. There were a few kids in his class that had made fun of him not because he didn't have a mother, but for not knowing of her true whereabouts. Gwen smoothed things over and explained the truth to him. When he cried about how his mother no longer loved him nor his father and that was why she left, she explained to him that was not true and that she loved them with all her heart. It was just that things turned out awkward and they ended up drifting.

To say she was surprised when Ken had asked if he could treat her as his mother would be an understatement. He had explained that since he never knew his mother or knew the feeling of having one, since Ben had not dated after the divorce, he wanted to know what it was like to have one. Gwen smiled at the boy and agreed, since she already saw him as a son and he saw her as a mother though he always called her Aunt. There was one condition to their agreement though; he was not allowed to call her that title in public, since she was after all technically just an aunt, well first cousin once removed actually, to the boy. Ken had readily agreed and was growing up to be a fine young man. It was not much of a surprise when Delvin, Ben's new adopted son had asked the same of her shortly after. Knowing of his past and his new brotherly relationship with Ken, she couldn't help but agree as well.

* * *

Ben could not believe what he was seeing. Although at the age of forty, he had yet to have a single gray hair. He decided that that was not normal considering his age and profession, with the amount of stress he had to undergo. Even visits to the doctor told him that his health was optimal, but strangely resembled that of a twenty-year-old. He first noticed this change when he acquired the alien he named "Life Sucker" eleven years ago. Although he rarely used this alien except for defeating the toughest opponents, he could feel the change on him constantly, as if he was always morphed into Life Sucker. The reason why he named the alien such was because of its unique powers to drain the life force of anyone he wishes, enabling him to defeat the weakened opponent with ease. From what Ben had gathered, Life Sucker had no other special powers aside from its namesake.

He didn't want to worry anyone, so he used the shape-shifter alien on his omnitrix to tweak his appearance. He added gray hairs and a few wrinkles to his usual appearance. Although usually in his shape-shifter alien form when human, no one could tell the difference, which was what Ben was grateful for. He didn't need anyone thinking that the omnitrix was having bad effects on him and quarantining him when he was the prominent crime fighter, even if it was mainly against aliens, in the city.

Ken had seen Life Sucker once and had wanted it to be added to his personal arsenal of aliens, but Ben had refused. Delvin had seen it as well and had asked to absorb its power to add to his collection of aliens, but Ben had refused that as well. Its burden was his to bear and he didn't need Ken to suffer any side affects that alien might result in.

* * *

Ben and Gwen were beyond thrilled when Ken had invited them to dinner with his current girlfriend. It was one of the happiest days of Ben and Gwen's life when Ken told them that he and his redheaded girlfriend, Jessie, were engaged and were to hold the wedding ceremony in half a year. Delvin at the time had moved out and was pursuing a singing career, though he was to be the best man in the wedding.

He had not expected Vilgax, or Kevin to escape from the null void for the fourth time. They had grown stronger during their absence and even more determined to take the omnitrix from him. With them were several other alien subordinates that had managed to escape with the deadly duo.

Although he had Ken by his side this time around, Ben wasn't sure if he would be able to defeat them once again. The last few times he had fought again Kevin or Vilgax, Grandpa Max had been there helping the best he could, whether it was through the computer, or through support. But this time around, he was on his own. Grandpa Max had passed away a few years ago when his age had finally caught up to him. Ben was relieved that Grandpa Max died a painless death in his sleep.

Fifty-five year old Ben and Gwen had fought an epic battle with twenty-five-year old Ken at their sides. The fight caused major damage to the city and extensive injuries to their fighters.

Although they had won the battle, Gwen had been the most injured of the group, having been attacked by a boulder to the back of the head when she had her guard down. She was in a coma for the past five and a half months, which put Ben nearly at his wits end. He was a nervous wreck and visited her in the hospital everyday, praying for her to wake up and to not leave him.

He was beyond thrilled when she awoke from her coma a few days later that he nearly crushed her in a bone-crushing hug.

Ken was worried that his self proclaimed mother would miss his wedding, but was relieved when she showed up, though a bit weak, attached to his father's arms while smiling madly during his wedding reception.

Ben was so happy that day that he had unconsciously morphed back to his regular human form without the tweaks in his appearance that the shape-shifter alien allowed him. Gwen had been shocked to find that he still looked as if he were in his twenties and could practically pass as Ken's brother. It was then that he explained the whole truth to her, away from the public, who luckily didn't see his slip-up.

"I can't believe that you never old me about Life Sucker's side effects," exclaimed Gwen as she traced her hands over his face, still not believing its effects.

"I didn't want you to worry," explained Ben, his gaze focused on her green eyes. It still amazed him that she could still look so young and beautiful for her age.

She let out a laugh. "It's a little too late for that, Ben. I've been worrying about you ever since you found the omnitrix."

He let out a sigh. "Unfortunately, but you had me worried for you for half a year, wondering if you were going to die or not."

Gwen rolled her eyes. "You've been watching too much TV."

Ben shrugged and then pulled her to him in a hug, surprising her, since she wasn't expecting such an action. "I've told you this before and I'll tell you this again. I don't know what I'd do without you," he told her softly.

Smiling at his heartfelt words, she pulled him in for a tighter hug.

* * *

DOUBLE DIVIDER

* * *

Although he had to witness a few friends and colleagues die before him, he was glad to be able to spend as much time with his sons and cousin as he could. Shortly after Ken's wedding, Ben had confessed that he had fallen in love with Gwen and had never told her for years. He was surprised that she felt the same and they had tied the knot. Ken was ecstatic since he had always figured that there was something going on between the two and that he was able to call Gwen his mother out in public now. Much to his dismay, Delvin had lost a hundred dollars for losing the bet that it'd take a few more years before Ben confessed.

At age ninety, Ben and Gwen had lived a life full of adventure, but had finally found the love that they weren't sure was out there for them. Even though he had to watch Gwen die peacefully in her sleep, he knew that it wouldn't be long before he joined her, with the omnitrix or no. The moment he figured a way to remove the omnitrix, all the youth and life energy that Life Sucker had given to him returned right to the alien contraption. That had been a few years ago, so he had been able to live life normally without having to hide his true appearance.

Ben removed the omnitrix and placed it in a special pod that he addressed to Ken. He lay down beside his wife and closed his eyes, letting the darkness surround him. It would not be long before he joined her in the afterlife since he could feel the last bit of energy the life-sucking alien had provided him leaving his body.

He had been glad that he had not allowed such a scary and most desirable alien to those seeking immortality to Ken. But he knew that his son would keep the omnitrix safe and probably find a way to remove the life-sucking alien's DNA from the contraption so that it never fell into the wrong hands. And with that, Ben Tennyson died with a smile on his face, after a life filled with doubt, fear, and most of all love.

* * *

Well, that didn't come out as depressing as I thought it would. The idea of having an alien grant you immortality and not allowing you to die whist your loved once have all died before you was heart wrenching in my head. But once I wrote all this out, I ended up making it a bit Ben x Gwen fluffy, which was not my original intention. Oh well, I hope you have enjoyed this.

Note: This is the first time that I wrote for the category and most probably my last. And, I had to edit this story since AM83220 had so kindly pointed out a plot hole that I wrote myself in. Then again, I wrote this all in one sitting and completed it at about five in the morning, so I had expected something to be off.


End file.
